Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with installing and electronically isolating telecommunications switching equipment cabinets, as an example.
The backbone of a telecommunications network consists of switching centers and either wireless or wireline communication links coupling the switching centers. A switching center is a place where telephony and electronic communications are routed from one point to another point in the network service area. The switches and equipment in a switching center are customarily mounted in a cabinet for protection. Typically, cabinets are installed in rows with cabinets placed side-by-side to form what is known in the industry as a "suite". Suites of cabinets are also placed back-to-back with to create a "double suite".
Since switching centers have a limited amount of floor space, it is important to keep the installation of a cabinet or suite in a precise and compact area. It is a time consuming task for cabinet installers to measure and layout the exact locations for the cabinets. It is especially time consuming to identify the proper location for cabinet mounting bolts and cable ways. Cable ways are chutes which allow cables to pass from the cabinet into areas beneath the floor of the switching center. In some installations, switching centers have a "computer floor". A computer floor is a raised tile floor which allows cables to be routed between individual cabinets. The cables run from the bottom of a cabinet, underneath the computer floor and up in to another cabinet.
It is important for the protection of the equipment inside the cabinet that the cabinet be electronically isolated from the building. if the cabinet is not isolated, damage to the equipment inside the cabinet may result from, for example, electric overcharge or unexpected power supply disturbances. The damage results in unnecessary expense to replace the damaged equipment, loss of revenue from the equipment down time, and possible harm to people.
One means of achieving isolation involves the use of an electrically nonconductive material, such as plastic. Pieces of such a material have been placed beneath a cabinet in a manner intended to prevent the cabinet from making direct contact with the floor. These pieces are taken from whatever sources of electrically nonconductive material are available at the time of installation.
The disadvantages of this method are that the pieces do not always assure complete isolation of the cabinet, and are not suitable for reuse when cabinets are relocated in a telecommunications switching center or another location. Another disadvantage of many pieces of electrically nonconductive material is that extensive manual labor is required to measure and layout the cabinets in the proper locations.
The disadvantages of this method are that the pieces do not always assure complete isolation of the cabinet, and are not suitable for reuse when cabinets are relocated in a telecommunications switching center or another location. Another disadvantage of many pieces of electrically nonconductive material is that a extensive manual labor is required to measure and layout the cabinets in the proper locations.
Accordingly, a means of facilitating the installation of equipment cabinets in a telecommunications switching center that provides insulation between the cabinet and the floor upon which it is installed would provide numerous advantages.